Abstract
In complex, open democracies there is a constant need for evidence to inform public discussion and decision-making by practitioners, managers, civil servants and politicians associated with education services.
UK Strategic Forum for research in Education extended an OECD CERI service of providing external "Country Reviews" of educational research and development. It did this by structuring and facilitating processes of internal self-assessment and knowledge exchange within and between each of the four countries which make up the UK.
This Helga Eng lecture will review this experience and report on the development of a model representing six elements in the development and mobilisation of knowledge in national systems of education.
- Origination and planning - including the conditions and provision for the facilitation and prioritisation of research activity.
- Creation and production - focusing on both the initiation and carrying out of projects in respect of each major type of research
- Assessment and validation - including peer judgement, user and beneficiary validation and the process, criteria and indicators specific to each assessment context and type of research.
- Collection and interpretation - concerning issues such as the processing of new knowledge in libraries and databases, empirical review and theoretical synthesis.
- Mediation and brokerage - addressing the multifaceted promotional and communication strategies which enable the supply of and demand for evidence to be bridged.
- Use and impact - considering the ways in which knowledge is used, scaled up and takes effect within policy and practice.